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Rockstar Diplomat

Music • Travel • Cultural Diplomacy
  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Videos
    • Rockstar Diplomat Sessions
      • Jam Sessions
      • Interviews
    • Open Mic Night
    • Music While Traveling
  • Photos
    • Burma: Mandalay & Mingun
    • Bogota/Villa de Leyva
    • Cape Horn to Iguazu Falls
    • Central America by Bus
    • Cuba
    • Colombia: Pasto y Festival de Blancos y Negros
    • Ecuador – 2011
    • Mexico – 2009
    • Northern Vietnam
  • Trips
    • Cape Horn to Iguazu Falls
    • Belgium Beer & Bike Tour
    • Biking Brussels to Budapest
  • For Fellow Travelers
  • About Me
  • Contact

A Culture of Troubadours

It seems that everywhere I’ve gone this week, I’ve encountered elderly men singing. It’s not uncommon in Medellín for older men to spontaneously break into song. Whether it be a janitor humming along to an old vallenato number or a father strolling along in the park singing to his daughter, these older Paisas seem capable of tapping into the numerous latin ballads floating in the air and broadcasting them to the those around them, if only for a few seconds.

It’s commonplace for many of these same older men to be seen with one headphone on their ear, the other dangling around their neck. I had always assumed that like the men who wear these at sporting events, these Colombians were tuning in to keep in touch with the gambling line. This myth was refuted today when I was talking to a friend’s father who suddenly interrupted the dialogue with a whimsical: “y los ojos siempre mostran la verdadero amor” to which he nodded in my direction, expecting me to recognize this classic love song. It seems that these older Colombians through electronic apparatus or reminiscing to their glory days keep their spirits high by singing classic melodies throughout the day. For the uninformed observer, this is a fascinating experience that will continue to make me smile whenever I hear it.

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  • From the Rockies to an Indian Wedding
  • South by Southwest 2017 Highlights
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AOC Years

The Roxy, West LA '08
The Roxy, West LA '08
Promo Card
Promo Card
@ The Roxy on MTV2 '07
@ The Roxy on MTV2 '07
Coors Ampitheater, San Diego
Coors Ampitheater, San Diego
Crowd @ Coors Ampitheater, San Diego
Crowd @ Coors Ampitheater, San Diego
House of Blues, Sunset, '08
House of Blues, Sunset, '08
@ Forbidden Radio Show
@ Forbidden Radio Show
The Troubadour, '08
The Troubadour, '08
Winner, Best Hard Rock Band '08
Winner, Best Hard Rock Band '08
Chain Reaction, Anaheim
Chain Reaction, Anaheim
Chain Reaction, Anaheim '07
Chain Reaction, Anaheim '07
@ LA Music Awards
@ LA Music Awards
New Years Eve, '06
New Years Eve, '06
promo shoot
promo shoot
w/ Gerard from My Chemical Romance
w/ Gerard from My Chemical Romance
feeling the love
feeling the love
The Roxy, '07
The Roxy, '07
promo shoot
promo shoot
promo shoot
promo shoot
Backstage w/ Linkin Park
Backstage w/ Linkin Park
merch table
merch table
putting in work in Dallas
putting in work in Dallas
merch table
merch table
First album
First album
Superfan Stacy
Superfan Stacy
Merch Table Projekt Rev
Merch Table Projekt Rev
Chain Reaction, Anaheim
Chain Reaction, Anaheim
Promo Shoot
Promo Shoot
Crowd @ Shoreline Ampitheater '07
Crowd @ Shoreline Ampitheater '07
The Troubadour, 2008
The Troubadour, 2008
Cricket Pavilion, Phoenix, '07
Cricket Pavilion, Phoenix, '07
Chain Reaction, Anaheim '08
Chain Reaction, Anaheim '08
Chain Reaction, Anaheim
Chain Reaction, Anaheim
Chain Reaction, Anaheim
Chain Reaction, Anaheim
The Viper Room, LA
The Viper Room, LA
Merch Table, Projekt Revolution
Merch Table, Projekt Revolution
San Antonio, '07
San Antonio, '07
@ Projekt Revolution
@ Projekt Revolution
The BLACK Party, 2009
The BLACK Party, 2009
W/ Mindless Self Indulgence
W/ Mindless Self Indulgence
W/ Saosin, 2007
W/ Saosin, 2007
Cricket Ampitheater, Houston, TX
Cricket Ampitheater, Houston, TX
Chain Reaction, '08
Chain Reaction, '08
Superfan Sam
Superfan Sam
The Roxy, West Hollywood
The Roxy, West Hollywood
The Troubadour, '07
The Troubadour, '07
Projekt Revolution '07
Projekt Revolution '07

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